Comprehension
Strategies
The comprehension strategies and approaches described below can be used
by parents and teachers to foster students' understanding of a variety
of text. They are not all inclusive nor mandates for instruction, but
are reserved only as a resource and inspiration.
There
are a number of comprehension strategies that one uses in reading text.
Teaching students how to use different strategies when they read will
provide them with the means to better comprehend text. Understanding
what strategies to use to find the main idea of a text, cause and effects,
comparisons and contrasts, descriptions, sequences, explanations, problems
and solutions and the ability to summarize events and use inference
and prediction skills enables a student to become a more effective thinker,
reader, and writer.
1.
The QAR Approach
(Question Answer Relationships) Raphael
and Au
This
approach to teaching reading comprehension strategies is based upon
the research of Dr. Taffy Raphael. During her observations of students,
she noted that they often have difficulty answering questions about
text. However, when they were taught specific comprehension strategies,
their comprehension and ability to engage in higher-level thinking improved.
